


Protect those who protect you

by seektheinfinite



Series: Family is everything [4]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Confused Aaron, Gen, Protective Robert, Rob and Liv bonding, dad robert, teenage troubles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-10-11 03:53:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10454385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seektheinfinite/pseuds/seektheinfinite
Summary: Written as for a prompt on tumblr. Roblivion and things you said over the phone.“Your face is a picture” Robert huffs out between bouts of laughter as he turns back to face Aaron.“Have I come home to a very messed up alternate dimension or something because none of that made any sense. Since when did you and Liv become best friends, and why is she thanking you for yelling at her and dragging her home.”





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thisissirius](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisissirius/gifts).



> Written as for a prompt on tumblr. Roblivion and things you said over the phone.

_Ping._ Robert heard the tell-tale sound of an incoming text message as he was stood at the kitchen counter, chopping onions ready for that night’s dinner.

“Aaron, can you check that for me? I’m just in the middle of the chopping the onions,” he called to Aaron who was currently sitting in the living room, watching football.

“What?” Aaron said, clearly not listening as usual.

“My phone.” Robert replied, “I just got a text message, can you check it for me?”

Aaron didn’t bother replying, but Robert could hear him shuffling about in the living room, presumably looking for the phone.

“It’s from Liv.” Aaron was stood in the doorway to the kitchen, phone in hand. “must be a pocket text though, because it’s just an X”

Aaron couldn’t help but wince as Robert barely missed cutting his fingers as the knife slipped in his hand. He made his way over to Aaron, hand out, indication that he wanted his phone, the onions forgotten on the chopping board.

“She’s at Gabby’s, right?” Robert questioned, and Aaron couldn’t help but wonder why there was a look of worry on his husband’s face at receiving the mysterious text.

Aaron shrugged, pushing off the doorjamb as he followed Robert through the house, already half way to the door before he could answer.

“Yeah, she said she was going to stay for dinner.”

Robert nodded, grabbing his keys from the bowl.

“Robert?” Aaron had to sprint to catch up with him as Robert jogged up the road. “Robert, what’s wrong?”

He didn’t turn around as he shouted back to Aaron, “I’ll explain later. Just trust me.”

Aaron thought about arguing, but then decided that it was probably better to just let him get on with it, whatever it was. They could discuss it later. Whatever was going on involved Liv, and Robert was worried; that was enough information.

Reaching the cottage, Robert hammers on the door, “Liv!” Getting no immediate response, he tries again. “Liv, I know you’re in there.”

Aaron’s standing behind him a little down the path, hoping that he’s going to get clued in as to what the hell is going on sometime soon because right now Robert is acting like a crazy person, and he really doesn’t know if he should step in or not.

Thankfully, he’s saved from having to act by the door opening and Liv appearing, looking sheepish in front of him. “Robert?” She asks, she sounds like she’s surprised to see him and if Aaron didn’t know her so well he would have fallen for it. But there’s something in her expression, not surprise, but relief at seeing Robert.

“What are you doing here Liv?” Robert’s shouting now, and if he’s not careful Aaron’s sure that the whole village is going to be coming out to see what the commotion is about. “You know you’re grounded. You should be doing your homework right now.”

Liv’s smiling as she shouts back at him, “You’re not my dad, you can’t tell me what to do,” and she starts to close the door on him.

Robert sticks his foot in the doorway, preventing her from closing it. “No, I’m not your dad, but Aaron is your guardian, and if you want to keep living with us then you better do as you’re told.”

“Ugh,” Liv gives him the typical over-dramatic teenager sigh before turning back to speak to someone in the house. “It’s my brother’s idiot husband, I better go or I’m gonna get grounded forever. I’ll text you, if the prison warden lets me.”

Liv ignores Robert’s wince at the mention of prison, he’s still overly sensitive about Aaron’s time away, even though Aaron himself seems to be fine with it.

“Come on young lady, we’re going to have serious words when you get home.” Robert takes hold of her arm, guiding her down the path.

Liv shrugs him off, before throwing back a, “whatever.” She doesn’t bother to wait for them, just storms off down the road back to the Mill.

Robert looks over at Aaron, standing at the bottom of the path, mouth slightly agape, completely and utterly clueless as to what he’s just witnessed. Robert places a hand on his arm, before saying “come on, I need to check she’s okay and then I’ll explain.”

Aaron just nods dumbly in response; not sure what else he can say.

Walking through the open door to the Mill, Aaron isn’t surprised to see Liv standing in the hallway waiting for them. What does surprise him though is that instead of continuing to yell at Robert she walks straight towards him and wraps her arms around his waist. He reciprocates the gesture, pulling her in close before pushing her back slightly to look in her eye.

“You okay?” There’s no hint of the anger that was there only moments before, this is caring Robert and Aaron can’t be prouder that in his absence the two people who mean the most to him in the world seem to have formed a bond that he wouldn’t have thought possible a year ago.

“Yeah, thanks.” Liv replies, before breaking the connection and making her way down the hall into her bedroom.

“Your face is a picture,” Robert huffs out between bouts of laughter as he turns back to face Aaron.

“Have I come home to a very messed up alternate dimension or something because none of that made any sense. Since when did you and Liv become best friends, and why is she thanking you for yelling at her and dragging her home.”

Robert blushes, briefly remembering that he hasn’t told Aaron about all the drama he had to deal with whilst he was away in prison. “Don’t kick off, but when you were _away_ Liv got into a bit of trouble with Gabby and a couple of lads. I went round there and found Gabby upstairs with one of them and the other one was trying to coerce Liv into drinking with him.”

Aaron’s face darkened, Robert could see the red mist descending, he offered a silent thanks that it had been him and not Aaron that day; who knows what would have happened.

“Liv told me afterwards that she hadn’t wanted to be there, she felt uncomfortable with the whole situation and she thought about calling me but she didn’t want to look like an idiot in front of her friends.”

“Okay,” Aaron nodded, still not really getting where this was going.

“Well, we came up with a code. If she ever feels pressured or uncomfortable in a situation all she has to do is send me a text with an X and I’ll get her out of it.” Robert’s looking at Aaron now, unsure of what he’s going to think about his idea of parenting. He had to do something, since finding Liv in that situation he had been sick with worry. He remembered all too well what he’d been like as a teenage boy and he didn’t want Liv to ever have to deal with someone like him back then without having some form of backup if she needed it. “Of course, now that you’re back she can text you too, but you know, I just needed to know she was okay, and she needed to know that I’d come if she needed me.”

Aaron was closing the gap between them, pulling Robert in close to him, before placing both hands either side of his face, a massive grin spread across his own. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

Robert felt himself blush. He wanted to argue that Aaron would have done the same if he’d been there. Instead he settled for leaning forward slightly into Aaron’s embrace, nuzzling his neck.

**Author's Note:**

> The inspiration for this fic came from a story that I read somewhere online about a father that had devised this code with his children to let him know if they were in a situation where they didn’t feel comfortable. I have a massive thing for both protective Robert and Dad Robert so I ended up with this.


End file.
